Congress of Erfurt — 27 septembre 1808

Before an audience of German kings and the actors of the Comédie-Française, Napoleon sought to display his alliance with Alexander I in order to intimidate Vienna and London before leaving for Spain. The tsar, secretly courted by Talleyrand, promised little and conceded nothing in the East. The splendour barely hid the wearing out of Tilsit: three years later the two empires would be at war.

Renewing Tilsit before leaving for Spain

A year after Tilsit the Russian alliance had cooled: the Continental Blockade was ruining the trade of the Russian ports, and the East had not been divided. Yet Napoleon needed to take his best corps to Spain, where Bailén had just shown that a French army could capitulate.

He therefore needed Austria to stay still during his absence, and for that Europe had to see the two emperors united. The meeting opened at Erfurt on 27 September 1808 and lasted until 14 October.

A pit full of kings

Napoleon summoned the company of the Comédie-Française: Talma played Corneille and Voltaire before a pit full of German kings, a phrase that would stick. He received Goethe and Wieland, decorated the first, and talked literature with them — the staging was addressed to the courts as much as to the peoples.

Behind the set the negotiation stalled. Talleyrand, no longer a minister but accompanying the Emperor, secretly advised the Tsar to resist: he was already working for what came after. Alexander listened and kept his own counsel.

What was signed, and what was not

The convention of 12 October recognised Russia's hold on Finland and the Danubian principalities, and France's acquisitions in Spain; the two emperors offered their mediation to London, which refused it. On the essential point — a firm commitment against Austria — the Tsar promised little and conceded nothing.

Napoleon also had the possibility of a marriage with a Russian grand duchess sounded out: the answer was evasive. The splendour barely concealed the wear on the alliance. Six months later Austria attacked without Russia stirring; three years later the two empires would be at war.